Flexible bag supporting frame

ABSTRACT

The bag-supporting frame includes a circular band having an annular groove on its outer wall. Three legs extend downwardly from the band and contact the ground when the frame is standing upright. An elastic cord is received in the groove for attaching the upper portion of the bag to the band such that the band holds the mouth open. In use the frame is tipped over so that the mouth of the bag is substantially vertical. The legs are arranged to support the frame so that it holds the mouth of the bag in that position. Particulate material such as leaves and grass cuttings can then be conveniently raked or shoveled into the bag.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to devices for holding flexible bags open to facilitate the filling of such bags and more particularly to a frame to which a flexible bag can be readily attached and which supports the bag while open so that its mouth is generally vertical.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The clearing of fallen leaves from a lawn usually involves raking the leaves into piles and lifting the leaves by means of a rake or by hand and loading them into a plastic bag. The leaves are loaded into the bag by two persons, one to hold the bag so that its mouth is open and is uppermost and the other to do the loading. Likewise grass cuttings are often cleared in the same manner. The cuttings are raked into piles and one person holds a bag with its mouth open and uppermost while the other person fills the bag with the cuttings.

If there are not two people for this task, it can be quite inconvenient and time-consuming. The person who is doing the filling can waste a good deal of time trying to hold the bag open with one hand while he attempts to load the leaves into the bag with the other. Most plastic bags will not hold their shape when they are held in one hand and their mouths will be too small to admit more than few leaves or grass at a time. For this reason considerable time is required to fill them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I have invented a frame for supporting a bag while it is being loaded. The frame holds the bag open and supports its mouth at an angle which is most convenient for loading leaves and grass cuttings. By means of the frame, a bag can be conveniently filled by one person.

When the frame is not in use, it can be easily taken apart so that its bulk is reduced for storage.

Briefly, the frame of my invention includes an upper band having inner and outer side walls. A continuous groove is formed in the outer side wall. The frame has a plurality of legs depending downwardly from the band. An elastic cord is receivable in the groove for attaching the portion of the bag surrounding the mouth to the band such that the band holds the mouth open for receipt of particulate material such as leaves and grass cuttings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The bag-supporting frame of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the frame in conjunction with a bag;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the frame and bag;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, in enlarged scale, of portion of a band to which the bag is attached together with a bracket for attaching a leg to the band;

FIG. 4 is an elevation, in enlarged scale, of the band and bracket together with a portion of the leg and bag;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the frame; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bag and the frame on its side for use.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, the bag-supporting frame of the invention, generally 10, is composed of an upper band 12 and three legs 14 which are spaced along the circumference of the band. The legs depend downwardly from the band and contact the ground or other solid surface.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the band is circular in shape and has oppositely facing inner and outer side walls 18, 20 and an upper wall 22. The outer wall has a continuous annular groove 24 formed in it for receipt of an elastic cord 26. Preferably the cord is of the kind which is commonly referred to as a “bungee cord”.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, each leg is connected to the band by means of an L-shaped bracket 30 having vertical and horizontal limbs 32, 34 respectively. The vertical limb is attached to inner side wall 18 by means of a screw (not illustrated). The screw can be loosened so that the position of the bracket can be adjusted by moving it along the band.

A sleeve 36 has an outer wall which is threaded at upper portion (not illustrated). That portion is threadably received in a threaded opening in the horizontal limb.

The upper end of leg 14 a is received in sleeve 36 and is held therein by means of set screw 38. Loosening of the screw allows the leg to be removed from the sleeve in order to reduce the bulk of the bag-supporting frame when it is being stored.

The bag is attached to the bag-supporting frame by first placing the bag within the band while the frame is standing upright in the position illustrated in FIG. 1. The upper portion of the bag is then folded over the band and down over its outer wall 20 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The ends of the elastic cord are then joined so that it is continuous and the cord is stretched until it is long enough to fit around the outer wall of the band. The band is then positioned such that it is radially outward of groove 24. Finally the cord is allowed to assume its unstretched state so that it enters the groove and grips the portion of the bag which is within the groove.

The bag is composed of polymeric or other flexible material and has a mouth for receipt of particulate material such as leaves, grass and the like. If the bag is used for holding leaves or grass, the bag-supporting frame should support the bag so that its mouth is close to vertical as illustrated in FIG. 6 so that the bag can be conveniently loaded. To support the frame in this manner, the frame is provided with three legs which are equidistantly spaced along the circumference of the band. In that way, two legs will contact the ground when the mouth is close to vertical and the points of attachment of the legs to the band are sufficiently high that the frame will not tip over in use.

It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the structure of the bag-supporting frame of the invention without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

1. A frame for supporting a bag composed of flexible material and having a mouth for receipt of particulate material, said frame comprising: an upper band having inner and outer side walls, said outer wall having a continuous groove formed therein; a plurality of legs depending downwardly from said band; and an elastic cord receivable in said groove for attaching the portion of the bag surrounding the mouth to said band such that said band holds the mouth open for receipt of the particulate material.
 2. The bag-supporting frame as claimed in claim in 1 wherein said band is circular and said groove is annular.
 3. The bag-supporting frame as claimed in claim in 1 wherein said elastic cord is a bungee cord
 4. The bag-supporting frame as claimed in claim 1 wherein said legs are removably attached to said band.
 5. The bag-supporting frame as claimed in claim 1 further including an L-shaped bracket having a vertical limb secured to the inner side wall of said band and a horizontal limb which extends outwardly from beneath said band, the horizontal limb of each said bracket having means for removably securing a separate said leg thereto.
 6. The bag-supporting frame as claimed in claim in 1 wherein said legs are movable along said band
 7. The bag-supporting frame as claimed in claim in 1 wherein said legs are arranged and constructed to support the mouth of said bag in a substantially vertical position when said band is resting on the ground. 